Bay area needs Ike Dike now

By Bob Mitchell

Updated 9:26 pm, Friday, October 5, 2012

The article "Ike Dike support shores up" (Page A1, Oct. 1) gave a good presentation of the Ike Dike concept, considering the constraints of available space in a major metropolitan daily newspaper. It's important, however, that the citizens of the Gulf Coast region are given as much information as possible so that they can make an informed decision about the need for immediate action to be taken.

Approximately every 15 years, a major storm hits the Gulf Coast. It's been four years since Hurricane Ike struck in September 2008. Our odds of another Ike or worse are increasing dramatically while we remain mired in discussions over what to do to protect ourselves and our assets.

The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership has been actively involved in seeking a storm surge protection solution since 2008. We have given more than 40 Ike Dike presentations to local audiences on the need for storm surge protection. These presentations counter the Rice University Severe Storm Protection, Education and Evacuation Center's barrier design, which plans for a levee directly along State Highway 146, inundating everything and everyone east of the highway in future surges. The Ike Dike is designed to protect the entire region and is not selective in determining who and what will survive a worst-case scenario storm.

Additionally, we have worked to establish the six-county Gulf Coast Protection and Recovery District. We also participated in the Dutch Delta Works contingency planning and participated in the New Orleans surge barrier tour with Texas officials, including the Texas General Land Office, a key financial partner in any local solution.

Through our involvement in advocating for the Ike Dike concept over the past four years, we've learned a lot about the Gulf Coast region, including the topography of its land and its economic landscape. When it comes to storm surge protection, the two are inseparable.

Consider this: Hurricane Ike caused in excess of $30 billion in damages. More than 5 million people live in the region. This is expected to increase by 2 million by 2050. The Port of Houston alone contributes $117 billion in annual economic activity. Galveston Bay is home to a vast petrochemical complex producing more than 26 percent of the nation's gasoline, 40 percent of its feed stocks and 46 percent of its jet aviation fuel. Protecting our citizens is always the highest priority, but safeguarding our industrial sector from the devastating effects of future storms is a matter of national security. It must be protected.

Some would argue that we cannot afford to build the Ike Dike. Reason dictates that we cannot afford not to build it. Greater New Orleans is now protected by a 133-mile perimeter of levees, flood walls and gated barriers. The total cost of Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Risk Reduction System so far is $14.5 billion dollars. The system was started in 2008 and achieved 100-year surge event protection in June 2011. A coastal spine with gates, like the Ike Dike, will shorten the time needed to build protection in Texas, as well.

The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership fully supports moving forward with a storm surge protection system like the Ike Dike. As the Oct. 1 Chronicle article stated, the Gulf produces bigger threats than the North Sea. We can wait until the next big storm devastates the Gulf Coast and its people, wishing we had done something sooner, or we can follow the lead of the Dutch and of New Orleans and find a way to build the Ike Dike now.